Handel is one of the most remarkable figures in the
history of western music. His compositions form one of
the peaks of creative achievement in the Baroque period,
and cover a remarkable range: full-scale Italian operas
and English oratorios (including Messiah), but also
shorter works such as the Water Music and the Coronation
Anthem Zadok the Priest. His compositional processes
were often complex, but could result in accessible and
memorable 'hit tunes', such as the aria that
subsequently became famous as 'Handel's Largo'. His life
and career were as remarkable as his music. Born in
Germany to a family that reputedly tried to discourage
his initial interest in music, he broke away to seek his
fortune in Italian opera, and proceeded to gain
first-hand experience of the latest Italian styles in
Rome, Florence, Venice and Naples. A series of career
moves brought him via Hanover to London, where he
eventually settled and dominated the city's musical life
for half a century. There he quickly made his mark in
English church music as well as Italian opera, and
eventually created two new musical genres - English
theatre oratorio and the organ concerto.Handel is
important also because, as a musician, he also became a
significant public figure. In Rome he attracted the
patronage of princes and cardinals; soon after his
arrival in London he appeared at the court of Queen
Anne, and he subsequently enjoyed substantial support
from the 'Hanoverian' royal family. He survived
turbulent periods in the musical and political life of
London, reached a wider public through publications of
his music, died a rich man and was buried in Westminster
Abbey. This biography provides a comprehensive and
balanced account of both the man and his music, drawing
on the unusually rich legacy of documentary and musical
sources from Handel's lifetime. This new edition of a
book that has been recognized as a 'classic' biography
of Handel, reliable on the factual details of the
composer's life and comprehensive in the coverage of his
music, incorporates a great deal of new material. The
last half century has seen a great renewal of research
on the circumstances of Handel's life, and a major
expansion in performances and recordings of his
music.The book brings together the results of this
scholarly activity, and is informed by wide experience
of modern performances of Handel's music, including the
revival of his operas and experimentation with
'authentic' performance practices. |
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